Cotton Production in a Changing Environment
HPACC 2014 Annual Meeting
Bill Robertson
March, 2014
Where Does My Food Come From?
Field to Market:
The Sustainable
Outcomes for
Agriculture
Alliance
Our working definition of sustainable
agriculture
Sustainable agriculture will meet the needs of the present
while improving the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs by:
 Increasing productivity to meet future nutritional and fiber needs
while decreasing impacts on the environment
 Improving human health through access to safe, nutritious food
 Improving the economic well being of agricultural communities
11
Who are our members?
Cotton: 30 Years of Improved Environmental Performance
(1980 – 2011) Land
Use
Soil
Loss
30%
68%
Irrigation
Water Energy
Use
Use
75%
31%
Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture Dec. 2012
http://www.fieldtomarket.org/report/national‐2/PNT_NatReport_A27.pdf
GHG
Emission
22%
Cotton LEADS™
is a program committed to
responsibly produced cotton.
Cotton production in the United States continues to lead
in the implementation of best management practices and
continual improvement in key environmental indicators.
LAND USE
GREEHOUSE
GASES
SOIL
EROSION
ENERGY
IRRIGATION
Cotton is grown in many arid regions of the world, thriving and providing economic yields in
environments not possible for many other crops. About 50% of the world’s cotton and only
36% of U.S. cotton receives some level of irrigation.
Pesticides, including herbicides, insecticides, nematicides and fungicides,
help farmers around the world to stabilize yields in order to produce an
abundant and affordable supply of food and fiber by preventing crop losses due
to pests.
According to a survey of U.S. cotton growers in 2008, 44% of U.S. cotton farms had fields that required no
foliar insecticides and nearly one-third of U.S. cotton acreage required absolutely no insecticide applications.
In other words, only about 5.6 grams of total pesticides are applied per kilogram of U.S. cotton produced.
Globally, from 1996 to 2006, there was a 23% reduction in insecticide active ingredients and the resultant
environmental impact fell by 28%.
The energy required to produce cotton is actually less than the energy stored in
the seed. Stored energy can be captured directly into biodiesel or other biofuels,
or indirectly as feed for dairy cows and aquaculture. About 635 kilograms of seed
are produced per hectare of cotton, which equates to over 75 liters of biodiesel per
hectare – more than required to grow and gin the cotton crop.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions refer to any gas released into the atmosphere that
prevents heat from the sun from escaping back into space. While the earth needs some
GHGs to sustain life, higher concentrations can cause the earth’s climate to warm.
There is more
carbon stored in
cotton fiber and
soil than emitted
during production.
Cotton has a neutral
greenhouse gas
footprint that
continues to improve
over time.
From the field to the mill, Cotton LEADS™ is leading the way in
traceable, transparent and efficient cotton production.
Tracking
and identification systems are in place throughout the cotton
production supply chain.
Cotton produced in the United States
utilizes the USDA cotton classing program to identify every bale of
U.S. cotton. Bales at the mill are identified by the Permanent Bale
Identification
tag
which
provides
fiber
quality
and
tracking
information. Cotton can be tracked back to the field where it was
produced.
Cotton LEADS™ is actively involved in benchmarking beyond the
agriculture boundary. The Cotton Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) aims
to provide a global comprehensive inventory of data relating to
cotton production and textile manufacturing. The associated Life
Cycle Assessment (LCA) utilizes global LCI data to present a
comprehensive
cradle-to-grave
examination
of
representative
cotton products, specifically knit golf shirts and woven pants, and
includes
garment
creation,
consumer
product
use
and
maintenance, transportation and product end-of-life. Available at
www.cottonleads.org, the LCA is another way that Cotton LEADS™
is leading the way in sustainable cotton supply chains.
The Fieldprint calculator is a web based tool developed by the Field to Market Coalition for Sustainable Agriculture
Fieldprint calculator
http://fieldtomarket.org
26
Field To Market Calculator START PAGE
Field Print
TAWC Cotton Fields
• Hale and Floyd Counties
• 6500 Acres from 111 Cotton Fields Representing 23 Sites and 14 Producers in 2007 to 2011
• No‐till to Conventional Tillage • Dryland and Irrigated
• Subsurface Drip
• LEPA
• Furrow
Ranking of Resource Efficiencies
2009 Cotton
TAWC
Lint Producer
Yield & Field Equivalent
Number
(r)*
C‐‐2
F‐‐6
C1‐‐1
O‐‐8
F‐‐7
R‐‐2
C1‐‐3
F‐‐8
N—2
B1—1
O—9
T—1
T—9
I—2
V—3
J—2
A1—3
K—1
B—1
K—3
D‐‐1
7
9
20
6
9
12
20
9
8
4
2
1
17
19
5
14
3
16
15
13
18
Conservation
Efficiency
(r)
Soil Carbon
(r)
1
4
7
5
13
20
15
8
6
14
3
2
12
19
11
9
10
17
18
16
21
2
4
1
8
5
6
3
11
7
19
9
15
10
12
16
14
20
17
13
18
21
Irr Water
Use Efficiency
(r)
Energy
Use
Efficiency
(r)
GHG
Emission
Efficiency
(r)
Overall
Resource
Efficiency
(r)
1
3
5
9
2
4
8
3
1
10
11
6
16
20
13
7
18
14
19
12
15
17
21
5
10
2
4
9
3
1
11
14
6
16
19
12
7
17
15
20
8
18
13
21
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
19
3
2
3
9
6
15
12
8
7
11
13
10
16
14
17
18
* Rank among 21 cotton fields with 1 being the highest or most efficient and 21 being the lowest or least efficient
Ranking of Resource and Total Variable Cost Efficiencies
2009 Cotton
TAWC
Lint Producer
Yield & Field Equivalent
Number
(r)*
C‐‐2
F‐‐6
C1‐‐1
O‐‐8
F‐‐7
R‐‐2
C1‐‐3
F‐‐8
N—2
B1—1
O—9
T—1
T—9
I—2
V—3
J—2
A1—3
K—1
B—1
K—3
D‐‐1
7
9
20
6
9
12
20
9
8
4
2
1
17
19
5
14
3
16
15
13
18
Conservation
Efficiency
(r)
Soil Carbon
(r)
1
4
7
5
13
20
15
8
6
14
3
2
12
19
11
9
10
17
18
16
21
2
4
1
8
5
6
3
11
7
19
9
15
10
12
16
14
20
17
13
18
21
Irr Water
Use Efficiency
(r)
Energy
Use
Efficiency
(r)
GHG
Emission
Efficiency
(r)
Overall
Resource
Efficiency
(r)
Total Variable Cost
Efficiency
(r)
1
3
5
9
2
4
8
3
1
10
11
6
16
20
13
7
18
14
19
12
15
17
21
5
10
2
4
9
3
1
11
14
6
16
19
12
7
17
15
20
8
18
13
21
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
1
3
11
17
4
2
9
5
12
7
8
6
15
16
19
18
10
13
20
14
21
19
3
2
3
9
6
15
12
8
7
11
13
10
16
14
17
18
* Rank among 21 cotton fields with 1 being the highest or most efficient and 21 being the lowest or least efficient
Three or More Years of Cotton (2007 – 2011)
Efficiency Ratings ‐ Occurrence in top 25%
TAWC
Producer
& Field
Number
K—1
K—2
K—3
N—2
N—3
O—8
O—9
R—2
S—10
S—9
B—1
V—3
B2—1
C—2
D—6
F—5
F—6
F—7
F—8
I‐‐2
n
4
4
4
4
4
5
4
4
3
4
3
3
3
3
3
4
3
4
4
4
Lint Yield Equivalent
Conservation
Efficiency
Soil Carbon
Irr Water
Energy
Use Use
Efficiency Efficiency
GHG
Emission
Efficiency
Overall
Resource
Efficiency
1
1
1
1
2
2
1
3
1
1
2
3
2
2
4
2
3
3
2
3
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
4
2
1
2
2
2
2
1
1
2
1
1
2
1
2
1
1
2
1
2
1
Total Variable Cost
Efficiency
3
3
3
3
2
3
2
1
1
1
1
2
2
1
Three or More Years of Cotton (2007 – 2011)
Efficiency Ratings ‐ Occurrence in Top 50%
TAWC
Producer
& Field
Number
K‐‐1
K‐‐2
K‐‐3
N‐‐2
N‐‐3
O‐‐8
O‐‐9
R‐‐2
S‐‐10
S‐‐9
B‐‐1
V‐‐3
B2‐‐1
C‐‐2
D‐‐6
F‐‐5
F‐‐6
F‐‐7
F‐‐8
I‐‐2
n
4
4
4
4
4
5
4
4
3
4
3
3
3
3
3
4
3
4
4
4
Lint Yield Equivalent
1
1
4
4
2
Conservation
Efficiency
Soil Carbon
1
1
2
1
4
4
2
1
3
4
3
2
3
2
2
1
3
2
2
3
2
2
3
3
1
3
2
4
3
1
3
1
3
3
3
3
3
1
Irr Water
Energy
Use Use
Efficiency Efficiency
1
1
1
2
1
1
3
4
2
2
3
3
2
3
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
GHG
Emission
Efficiency
2
1
1
Overall
Resource
Efficiency
Total Variable Cost
Efficiency
4
3
3
4
3
3
1
1
3
2
3
4
3
2
1
1
2
2
1
3
1
3
2
2
3
1
1
2
2
3
3
2
3
2
2
2
1
3
3
4
3
1
Variable Rate N

92 acres

2011—1195 lbs/ac
2012—1140 lbs/ac

Variable Rate N
N
P2O5
K2O
(lbs/ac)
(lbs/ac)
(lbs/ac)
Traditional
120
30
90
2011
104
0
60
2012
71
30
73
Variable Rate N—2012 Traditional
Variable Rate
This producer…
Saved approximately…
425,000 lb CO2e
4.2 billion BTU
19 tons of N and 15
tons of P2O5
$60,000*
* Savings calculated solely from fertilizer cost
Cover Crops
VR and NO cover crops
VR with cover crops
Tillage Systems
Conventional tillage
No‐till
Fieldprint Calculator Scenario Analysis
BEFORE
AFTER
Conservation measures reduce your Fieldprint
Questions/Contact Information
• Field to Market Website (includes Fieldprint Calculator and background information)
– http://www.fieldtomarket.org
• National Cotton Council‐Technical Services
• Cotton Incorporated‐Ag Research & Environment Div. 41
THANK YOU